Fingernail polish and artificial fingernails are in widespread use as cosmetic enhancements, and are applied by the consumer as well as by professionals in salons. Artificial fingernails are typically produced either by gluing on pre-manufactured acrylic fingernails, or built up using an artificial fingernail form to apply layers of acrylic materials that are shaped to form an artificial fingernail. Although modern materials and methods enable very real looking artificial fingernails to be produced, it is necessary to periodically repair or remove the artificial fingernails. Artificial nails such as, for example, acrylic, gel or silk, linen or fiberglass wraps, have become popular and such products are applied or bonded onto the natural nail to provide a uniform appearance and then a nail polish or lacquer is applied to provide color and/or to cover the sculpting product used to form the artificial nail. Nail polish or lacquer products are applied as a temporary decoration and/or to improve the strength of the underlying nail. Such nail polishes or lacquers are removed using commercially available solvents in the form of nail polish removers.
Changing or removing a colored polish or lacquer from artificial nails can be difficult since most commercially available nail polish removers may damage the underlying sculpting product.
Artificial fingernails and fingernail polish are generally removed by immersing the wearer's fingertips in a solvent to soften and dissolve the polish and the glues and acrylics comprising the artificial fingernails. Acetone is generally used as the solvent. Acetone is a volatile material and evaporates quickly, producing gaseous compounds that may irritate the throat, lungs and eyes of exposed individuals. Further, acetone may damage adjacent furniture, carpet and other objects if it is spilled or splashed onto these surfaces. Exposure to the gaseous compounds resulting from use of acetone generally does not pose a problem for the average consumer, since the consumer is only relatively infrequently exposed to these compounds. However, professional manicurists and beauticians may be exposed to acetone on a daily basis. Over time, contact with acetone can pose a serious health hazard.
Various devices have been developed in the prior art in order to facilitate the removal of fingernail polish and artificial fingernails, and especially to reduce the hazards associated with the use of strong solvents to remove the fingernail polish and artificial fingernails. Many of these prior art device utilize covers to minimize evaporation of the solvent and to minimize exposure of the manicurist or wearer to the solvent. Other devices include sponges, brushes or other scuffing materials to hasten softening and removal of the fingernail polish and/or artificial fingernails.
The task of removing nail polish typically involves administering the nail polish remover onto a human nail or artificial nail through the use of a cotton ball and rubbing the cotton ball containing nail polish remover on the human nail or artificial nail until the nail polish has been removed. Soaking in such solutions is often employed, exposing not only the finger or toenail surface but also the surrounding skin regions that never had any polish associated therewith. Absorbing such agents into the skin around the nail is something many wish to avoid. Methods of removing nail polish or false nails is often an arduous and messy procedure. There is a long felt but unsolved need for an inexpensive, easy safe and repeatable way to remove nail polish and artificial nails, especially one where both the customer and the nail professional are not unduly exposed to the often unpleasant and unhealthy odors, fumes and smells of nail polish removal substances.
Accordingly, there is need for a method and apparatus for removing fingernail polish and artificial fingernails simultaneously from plural fingers, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which may be easily and comfortably used to remove fingernail polish and/or artificial fingernails from a wide range of different size hands.